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AMERICAN PACIFIC AIRWAYS
''HISTORY '''AMERICAN PACIFIC AIRWAYS was founded on 22 December 1948 in Rehau, Germany, as Atlantis Airways. ' Founders were local Travel Agencies and the Federal State of Germany, Bavaria. The Federal State provided the main part of the start-up capital, which was enough to buy two brand new Douglas DC-3, of which the first one was picked up in Long Beach on the same day the company was founded. It departed on 22 December 1948 at 05:10 PM in heading Hof-Pirk Airport, where it arrived in the evening of the 24 December 1948, received by a large celebration. The second Plane followed in January 1949. Atlantis Airways used the planes in the next years mainly to business destinations, such as Hamburg and Munich and in summer also to touristic destinations like Northern Italy, also departing from other German Airports like Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. In the early 70s, Atlantis replaced these planes by the B 747-200s, which was stationed at Munich Airport. In 1975, the boss of Atlantis married the female boss of Orbit Airlines and Orbit was offering feeder services with its Cessna 172 aircrafts from Hof to Munich. In 1976, the couple moved to Stuttgart, because they liked the city and wanted to build up a network of intercontinental connections from there. For this, two B 747-200 were flown from Stuttgart via Frankfurt to its final destinations, like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Orbit Airlines also offered feeder services to Stuttgart, with its first new Boeing 737-200 and also offered flights to business destinations, such as Hamburg or London. On 19 November 1976, the couple founded with support from local travel agencies and the Federal State of Germany, Baden-Württemberg, World Travel Airlines with headquarters in Stuttgart, in order to get a step in the market of charter and touristic flights. For this, two B 747-200 were bought and started operations to the most popular holiday destinations. In 1987, ater a holiday in California, the CEO was so fascinated from this country, that he decided to rename its company into American Pacific Airways and to found a subsidiary in the USA, called American Pacifica Airways USA, based at Los Angeles International Airport. As he didn´t found a office direct at the aiport, the official headquarters was build up in Westminster nearby Los Angeles. Anyway the main part of the year, the CEO was keeping on living in Germany. In the late 80s, the couple was divorced and the CEO of APA searched for a new location for its airline. First in Spain and later then, in 1994 he moved the headquarters to Hamburg / Germany, just after World Travel Airlines started to operate independently from American Pacific Airways and Orbit Airlines. In the early 90´s, APA had already a Fleet of 48 B 747-200s and was already the biggest Airline for intercontinental flights to and from Germany. They started to expand their Services now to other European countries. Starting in 1994, when the headquarters was moved to Hamburg, APA decided to change the business model and to lease used Boeing 737-200 and 400s, in order to get a step into the market of business continental flights and to be able to fill the 747s with feeder services. After a few years the business with continental flights was better, than that with intercontinental flights, where APA had a huge overcapacity with its Boeing 747 Fleet. APA decided to sell its Jumbo Fleet and bought a contingent of Seats on flights of World Travel Airlines from Europe to the US West Coast, to be able to offer their passengers all connections with one ticket. The reconstruction was completed in 1997. In early 2001, APA decided to refine the network, and leased a fleet of Dash 8s, which are flying till today. The big share of the fleet consisted meanwhile of the Boeing 737-400, which was the perfect workhorse for the airlines. In September 2002, American Pacific Airways was able to complete a great business with Boeing, as the financially troubled Airwave AIRLINES cancelled them an order with 389 partly brand new and used B 737-400s, of which the new ones were already stored since 1999 and 2000 when the last Aircraft of this Type was built, waiting for a new buyer. Logical that APA benefited from high discounts. The airplanes were introduced step by step in the next years, but afterward the airline got big financial trouble because of that. When the financial crisis began in 2008, the airline had to react immidiately, in order not to go bankrupt. All Boeing 737-400s were removed from the Fleet and partly soled or mothballed, as the business with the Dash 8s was running not too bad and American Pacific Airways was famous for its excellent service on the regional flights. The CEO withdrew on 20 July 2013 and overgave part of the company to his son at World Travel Airlines. The wish of the old CEO was, to relocate the headquarters of the parent company to Los Angeles, his preferred city. On 02 August 2013, the old American Pacific Airways didn´t exist anymore and the new one, renamed into American Pacific Air, just started to build up its existence in the headquarters of the former subsidiary, in Westminster, nearby Los Angeles. On 13 September 2013, a memorial of the old CEO and its American Pacific Airways, was established in Göppingen/Germany, just nearby the son, where the headquarters of Gaia and World Travel Airlines is based. Just on the same day, only a few hours later, the official opening of the new headquarters of the new American Pacific Air, was celebrated in Westminster. The new Airline will keep on useing the Dash 8s and also will reintegrate the biggest share of the mothballed Boeing 737-400 Fleet, as the airline could get some strong investors. Both Aircrafts will fly in the old Livery, including the letters Airways at the end, but the Airline is called now American Pacific Air. On 22nd of December 2013, World Travel Airlines donated a grand celebration, to remember the old Airline, as it has been founded just before 65 years on this day. As a gift, World Travel Airlines will call one of its Boeing 737-400s, The Spirit of American Pacific Airways, what will be written on the fuselage of this Jet. ''FACTS of the old American Pacific Airways operated till 19.07.2013 FLEET:'' ''HUBS: Beside these airports, APA operated from lots of Bases, distributed around the world. Accidents and Incidents: On September 6, 2005, American Pacific 4456, operated by a Boeing 737-400,crashed on touchdown tat Los Angeles International Airport. The main landing gear collapsed because of the hard landing in bad weather, causing the airplane to cartwheel off the side of the runway and catch fire. All 176 people on board (170 passengers and 6 crew members) were killed upon impact and in the post crash fire On October 7, 2007, American Pacific Flight 5567, operated by a de Havilland DHC-8-100, crashed on final approach to Hamburg for reasons unknown. All 43 people on board (40 passengers and 3 flight crew) were killed instantly upon impact. ''We´ll not forget this great Airline ! Category:American Airlines